Aftertaste
by MarieBoheme
Summary: An examination of Makoto's relationship with the taste of coffee in three parts. Written for Day 7 of Makoto Niijima Week 2019: Throwback Day (Broadening Horizons).


Originally published on AO3 as part of Makoto Niijima Week, just getting around to uploading everything here.

* * *

The first time Makoto tasted coffee, she was ten years old.

She had been sitting with her father on a lazy Sunday morning - him reading his newspaper while she watched cartoons on the television. Like most mornings, he had a steaming hot cup of coffee in front of him, which Makoto had been watching carefully out of the corner of her eye.

Just the day before, she'd overheard a group of popular girls at her school boasting about how their parents let them drink coffee. They'd claimed that it made them more sophisticated, grown up. All the adults in her life, even her sister, liked to drink coffee. She already thought herself to be mature for her age, but maybe this could be the secret to being taken more seriously by those around her.

"Papa?"

He met her gaze above the top of his paper, raising an eyebrow at her tone. He was familiar enough with it to know that she was about to ask him for something. "What is it, Mako-chan?"

She fiddled nervously with her headband. "C-can I…try some of your coffee?"

Her father chuckled, setting down his paper. "Alright. Just a little bit."

Hesitantly, she reached over and picked up the mug with both hands. As she raised it to her lips, she glanced over at her father who was eyeing her with a muted smirk.

As the bitter liquid passed her lips, she couldn't suppress the grimace that appeared on her face. "Ugh! That's so gross!"

Her father laughed. "You think that now, but if you take after your old man at all you won't be able to go a day without it when you get older."

Makoto wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't think so, Papa."

He didn't look convinced, still smirking as he reached over to pick up his paper and mug and letting out an exaggerated sigh of contentment as he took a sip. Makoto rolled her eyes before leaning against his shoulder and switching her attention back to the television in front of them. If that was how all coffee tasted, there was no way she'd ever grow to enjoy it.

* * *

More than five years passed before her next attempt. She'd been running fairly low on sleep recently, having just begun high school and taking on the increased workload that came with the transition. Not to mention the added stress of having to adapt to her new dynamic at home with her sister since her father's death six months prior.

Not that she had seen much of her sister lately. Since their father had died, Sae had launched herself head first into her career, spending more nights at her office than she did at home. When she _was_ at the apartment she would often lock herself in her room to continue working, coming out only to shower or fill up on coffee.

Right, coffee. Her sister practically lived on the stuff, almost never without a thermos or mug in her hand. Makoto had noticed that as she got older, more and more of her peers had started to develop an obsession with coffee, suddenly claiming that they couldn't function without the beverage. Recently, she'd been curious to see if there was something to these assertions, and if her father had really been right all those years ago about her eventually developing an affinity for the taste.

One evening, after a particularly busy week had left her barely able to keep her eyes open, curiosity got the better of her. Between assignments, she wandered over the kitchen and began to fiddle with her sister's fancy coffee machine, eventually figuring out how to prepare herself a single cup. While her sister took her coffee black, Makoto added milk and sweetener to try and mask the bitterness of the blend.

At the first taste, she scowled, pursing her lips. While not as intense as the coffee she'd tried in her childhood, she still wasn't fond of the flavor. She poured the rest down the drain, cleaning up her dishes and the machine to eliminate all evidence that she had been so wasteful.

How Sae drank liters of the stuff every day baffled her. She'd be sticking with tea from now on.

* * *

Being at Leblanc without Ren or the other Phantom Thieves for company was an odd experience. But Makoto had gotten the urge one day, after a particularly stressful student council meeting, to head over to the café to finish the rest of her studying. The library was no longer the source of solace it had once been, with the whispers being spread about her teammates and the rest of her classmates.

"Welcome," came Sojiro's gruff greeting as she entered the empty café. "Ah, miss student council president, right? The kid's not back yet."

Makoto shook her head as she took a seat at the counter. "I'm actually just here for the atmosphere today. A change of scenery is good for the mind."

"Ah, well I'll do my best not to ruin your concentration then. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Oh, that's nice of you but I don't actually like coffee. Can I get some tea instead?"

Sojiro feigned a look of mortification. "Now that won't do. You only say that because you've never tried _my _coffee. How about I get you a cup on the house, and if you don't like it, no hard feelings?"

Makoto smiled at his enthusiasm. She _had _heard great things about the Leblanc coffee from her teammates. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

Sojiro studied her for a moment, bringing a hand to his chin as he looked her up and down. Then, without a word, he made his way to his machine where he proceeded to prepare her a cup with the utmost seriousness and care. She could tell that he took his craft seriously.

"Here you are," he announced as he placed the fresh cup in front of her. "Mocha Matari. The perfect mix of sweet and spice, and none of that bitter aftertaste that tends to bother amateur coffee drinkers like yourself."

Makoto hesitantly took a sip of the warm beverage, her eyes widening at the taste. The flavor was softer and richer than she had expected. True to his word, the aftertaste was sweet and savory rather than bitter. It was the first time she'd ever wanted to take another sip, which she did before giving Sojiro her feedback. "That's amazing. How did you do that?"

He chuckled. "I guess you could say that it's my superpower."

They were interrupted by the sound of the bell above the café's front door. It seemed that Ren and Morgana were finally home for the day.

Ren paused in his tracks as he took notice of Makoto sitting at the counter. "I didn't forget about a study session, did I?"

"No, not today," she assured him with a smile. "I'm just a customer."

He looked relieved, then got a twinkle in his eye as he approached them, leaning against the counter beside her. "Are you sure you're not just following me again? I thought you'd kicked that habit, Niijima-senpai."

Makoto felt her face and neck heat up at his comment, pointedly avoiding his gaze as she took another sip of her coffee. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Sojiro give him a curious look.

"I just stopped by on a whim and Boss was nice enough to make me some coffee," she continued, still not meeting either of their eyes. "It's absolutely amazing, I've never had anything quite like it before."

Sojiro laughed. "You know, if you really like the coffee that much, you should come by more often. Wouldn't that be nice, kid?"

The two men shared a strange look, and she couldn't help but notice that Ren lost some of his previous smugness. Before she could inquire as to what was going on, a flash of green flew by her head as Sojiro tossed an apron at Ren's head. "Watch the store, will you? I need to run an errand."

He nodded at the older man, suddenly all business. "Yes, sir."

Sojiro rolled his eyes at the forced formality, switching places with Ren as he made his way to the front door. "Make sure you don't burn the place down while I'm gone."

"No promises!"

Sojiro's grumbles were unintelligible as the door closed behind him. As soon as the coast was clear, Morgana peeked his head out of Ren's backpack before jumping to the floor and stretching. "Hey, Queen! Don't mean to be rude but I really need to stretch my legs. I'm gonna go for a walk. See you later, Joker."

Morgana headed up the stairs to the attic, where Makoto knew there was a window propped open so he could come and go as he pleased. They were alone now in the café, the only sound that of Ren drumming his fingers against the counter.

"So, were you just being nice earlier or do you really like the coffee that much?"

Makoto shook her head. "No, I was being completely honest. I've always disliked the taste of coffee, but this...is something else." She took another sip as if to reemphasize her point.

"Well, he _is _the master." Ren leaned forward so his elbows rested on the counter. They were closer now, and Makoto couldn't help but fidget in her seat at the way he was looking at her. "You know, Sojiro's been teaching me how to make the perfect cup of coffee. I'd be happy to test out my skills on you if you keep coming by to study. I'm not nearly as good as Sojiro yet, but I'll try my best. Especially for you."

Makoto felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. "O-oh. I'd...I'd like that."

"Excellent." Ren flashed her an affectionate smile before moving to the kitchen to get a start on the dishes that Sojiro left behind. As soon as he was no longer looking her way, Makoto let a large grin flash across her features. A warm glow permeated through her body, unrelated to the beverage in front of her.

_I guess I'm a coffee drinker now, _she mused as she took another sip. She had a feeling she would be spending a lot more time at Leblanc from now on.


End file.
